The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen Covers ‘This Land is Your Land’

Taylor Momsen has released a cover of Woody Guthrie's classic folk song "This Land Is Your Land." Appropriately enough, The Pretty Reckless frontwoman chose the 4th of July to put out the song, a video of which can be viewed above. Guthrie wrote the track in 1940 and released it in 1945.

Momsen teased the release of the track, which features a sparse acoustic musical arrangement, earlier in the week on her official Facebook page with an image of a candle on a studio mixing console. "A little musical gift for the 4th coming tomorrow..." she wrote. The image was significant as she uses pictures in the video taken by producer Kato Khandwala, who died tragically from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident earlier this year. Khandwala produced all three releases by The Pretty Reckless.

"10 years ago, while trying to put my band together, through a series of lucky events, I found myself sitting in my apartment on 23rd street in NYC across from two men, who, little did I know, would change the entire direction of my life," Momsen wrote in a tribute post to the producer following his death. "Unlike all the other musicians and producers I had met, here were two longtime best friends, with so much passion for music. They just breathed an infectious and uncompromising love of music. Their name’s were Kato and Ben."

"I found myself drawn to their relationship and it’s musical roots, I wanted to join their world," she continued. "A few months later we would start making music together, and two best friends would become three. We were inseparable for the next nine years, and formed a relationship we all knew would last a lifetime. It was everything. Then on Wednesday night, in a sudden moment, Kato was gone. He was our ring leader, our confidant, my best friend, my family, my musical soul mate. Nothing will be the same without him. All the character and music he brought to this world will have a lasting impact, and he will never be forgotten. I love you Kato, I will miss you every minute of every day. I don’t know what to do without you."

The last release from The Pretty Reckless, Who You Selling For, was released in October 2016.